Spotlight on R C. Matthews and Date Night

I'm a hopeless romantic who gets really upset if a love story doesn't end with happily ever after. I'm also wife to an amazing husband who is so wonderful his mother decided to give him three names (first, middle and middle) - which I stole for my pen name. I'll let you guess what the R.C. stand for and I added an "s" onto Matthew. It's my personal dedication to him on every single book because he is so patient with my writing. Finally, I'm mother to two children, stepmother to one child and sister to four siblings.

Who is your favourite author?

This one is tough because I have a wide range of books that I enjoy reading and there are different aspects to each author's writing that I love. However, if I am forced to pick one, then I have to go with Jane Austen. I never, never, never tire of reading her books. Pride and Prejudice, Emma and Sense and Sensibility are my go to books. And I love the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice.

Do you listen to music while you write?

Never. I like absolute quite while I am writing so the thoughts can flow freely in my head. I don't plot my books out, I don't use story boards, I don't even have a detailed outline by chapter. My notes and outline for Date Night consisted of one page and the titles for each chapter to give me an idea of where I wanted to go. Other than that, I had no clue what I was going to write until I put the words on paper. I even wrote the book out of sequence.

What do you do to relax?

Actually, writing is one of the thing I do to relax. I love writing. My husband thinks I'm nuts. But writing is how I release creative energy. Much like others chose to scrapbook or make jewelry or bake. I write. Or read. Or watch movies. They're all relaxing.

Tell us about your book.....

Date Night is a lovely story about a young woman and her grandmother who share a bond forged over years of living together and working closely together on a scrapbook. When Grannie's health takes a turn for the worst, the two women set off on a new adventure together to find Jordan a husband in time for Grannie to take part in the wedding. Poor unsuspecting JT, who is Jordan's older brother's best friend, was just coming along for the ride to make sure Jordan didn't run into any serious problems on her dates. He definitely got more than he bargained for! I will always cherish and remember Date Night because I wrote it during National Novel Writing Month in November 2013 as a gift to my niece and god daughter, Jordan, who is 21. I thought it would be fun for her to read a story of a heroine near her age, with her physical features, her clothes, etc. I let my niece pick from a list of dates and I grilled her about her favorite foods, colors and perfume. I even used her mother's and brother's real names. But that is where the similarities end - still it was fun none-the-less for her and for me.

51 comments:

Thanks Melissa. All of my co-workers ask me where I find time to write. I tell them while they're watching the super bowl or going out to a movie, I'm writing. Everyone makes time in their life for the things that bring them the greatest joy. For me that happens to be writing. At least for now - hopefully forever.

I love the story of how you got your pen name, and how your book is loosely based on your niece. Very sweet. Makes me quite sure that I'd love your book, too. I wish you much success. R.C. (Richard Charles... Rudyard Cuthbert... Really Cool...)

LOL...I love the guesses. My husband will too. Especially the "really cool matthew". Book 2 of the sequel is loosely based on my nephew Jared and Book 3 will be loosely based on my niece Tyler. She demanded I write a book for her too. :-) It makes the writing so much fun.

Thank you. Date Night really started out as a story about a woman going on a series of funny dates...I used a dating service in real life. When I decided to adapt it to my niece, that caused a dilemma - why would a 22 year old use a dating service? If you like, go check out Date Night on Amazon.com (US) in the Author's Note section I describe how I developed the storyline and conflict in the story.

Although my husband isn't much of a reader, he actually enjoys watching the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice with me. Mrs. Bennett is so outrageous and funny. I love the wide range of characters in her books.

I'm also writing a fantasy story for my son now and he is actively participating in developing the story line. It's great to see how excited he gets. Whenever I ask his opinion about something he says, "Mom. I only one person. That's just my opinion." And I say, "But I'm writing this for you so your opinion is the only one that matters." You should see his face light up. It's heart-warming. :-)

She thought it was really cool. I let her read the book as I was writing it. Talk about pressure! She couldn't wait for each new chapter. It was great too because she corrected the "lingo" to be age appropriate. Who knew kids says "that's insanely cool" instead of "wicked"? "True dat" and "Epic" are definitely not in my normal vocabulary.

Thanks for stopping by! BTW - Nas Dean is a wonderful editor. She is responsive and patient and so knowledgeable. I thorough enjoy working with her. Technology is a wonderful thing - we literally live across the world from each other - but can still work with each other. How awesome is that?

Happy endings and no cliff hangers! It is cruel and unusual punishment to end a book with a cliff hanger and then make me wait four months up to a year to find out what happens next. I read the book "Checked" recently and it was really, really good but ended with a cliff hanger. Arrrgghh!

I know what you mean - I never get tired of Jane Austen, I prefer happily ever after endings, and I unwind by writing. I had someone ask me the other day what I do for fun. When I said I use any spare minutes I can to write, they looked at me like I was nuts. Maybe it's something only other writers can understand.

I think Jane Austen would have been a good friend of mine if we had lived in the same time period. Her sense of humor was just wonderful. I'm always amazed at new things I pick up on in the story line every time I read her books. I have to say I am also in love with Pamela Aidan's series which tells the story of Pride and Prejudice from Mr. Darcy's perspective. I found her books highly entertaining.

My husband definitely thinks I'm nuts for writing as entertainment. He can't stand writing. It's a horrible chore for him. And I don't think he has picked up a novel in 20 years. He prefers to watch movies. I keep telling him he misses out on so much by watching instead of reading but I guess to each his own.

Strangely enough, I enjoy the editing process as well. However, I don't follow the "rules". I've read you should write the entire first draft and then go back and edit. That would drive me insane. I write a chapter and then edit it immediately before moving on to the next chapter.

I love the tribute to her husband and the pen name really works. :) How cool that this was written during NaNoWriMo and that the MC was designed after her goddaughter. Thanks for sharing and wishing R.C. Matthews the best of luck.

Thank you Jess. I had my doubts that I could write a book in a month during NaNoWriMo but I decided to give it a shot anyway. My MS came in at 50,250 words. Whew! Just made it. Then I spent two weeks editing and addressing my best friends feedback. I ended up at 58,000 words. It was an awesome experience because it taught me that I can write a book quickly.

I also like to write in complete quiet, and prefer happy endings. Writing does provide a great sense of accomplishment. Your niece is very lucky to have you! All the best with Date Night! Great interview Nas and RC!

I always find it interesting how different people work and relax. A lot of my co-works (my day job) listen to music while they work. I tend to just tuned everything out anyway so there is no use in listening to music.

I say no to music also, except just recently I had to write one piece based on music. I was shocked at how it changed the way I wrote. That set me thinking a bit differently about using music when I write.

Writing is relaxing to me as well, but only if I have a stretch of time to enjoy it. Writing under pressure gives me hives. :-)

Please stop by my website and email me to let me know what you think! I love to hear reader feedback. Recently a co-worker told me she would have loved it if Date Night listed whose head the reader was in at the start of each section. Well that was easy! Done. I went back and updated the book. It was a great suggestion.

I agree with your choice of author, R.C. Jane Austen is one of my favorite authors. Her writing takes us inside the characters’ lives. We feel we are there. I require quiet when I write, too, although sometimes I outline a story. I do write the story out of sequence sometimes. Interesting premise for your book. How wonderful that your niece is so connected to the plot details. Sometimes, I use my children’s names in my stories and the places we’ve camped. But as you say, the similarities end there. Thanks, Nas and R. C., for sharing this interview. ~Victoria Marie Lees

I also find Jane Austen's writing style witty and I walk away from her books feeling good. It is fun to have names of family and friends in my books. The husband of one of my best friends wants his name in my next book just for kicks. Thanks for taking the time to read the interview!